Forgive Me: The Neo Hospital Fic
by CyberDracomon
Summary: The second of my Neo Trilogy. Kari gets into an accident at school, but for TK it's no ordinary accident. This isn't like your everyday hospital fic, though, not hardly. The Neo Trilogy is all about changing the oldest ideas into new ones and I continue


Forgive Me: The Neo Hospital Fic  
Story 2 of 3 of The Neo Trilogy series  
By CyberDracomon  
  
(Author's Note: In this profession of Digimon fanfics, there have been three storylines that have appeared more than any other. Those stories are the prom, the hospital and the diary, the three great storylines. They have appeared in many forms and with many couples, but all have been about the same basic plotline. I have decided to take these overused plotlines and do my best to breathe some life into them with things never even thought of in the three storylines and I continue my quest with the hospital fic. In case you don't know, this is where one character gets injured and another, in love with the victim, stays with them until they awaken, usually from a coma, or till they recover. This is a Neo fic, though, so don't expect it to be the same! This is at my usual time frame, TK and Kari are 15 here. With all that said, please read, review, and most importaintly enjoy! ^_^)  
  
TK sat in the waiting room of the Odaiba Hospital, watching the doorway to the emergency room. The place was freezing cold and smelled of disinfectant, but TK barely noticed. His mind was lost on the events of the day, it was only a few hours ago and it was still being burned into his mind. Tai was sitting across from him with his head hanging low, as much in thought as TK, but from different things.  
  
"TK, you still haven't told me what happened..." Tai said, raising his head to look at TK. TK looked away from the doorway to look at Tai, seeing rage and fear in his eyes at the same time.  
  
"I told you, I can't explain..." TK said in a quivering voice. Tai stood from his seat and walked over to TK, sitting in the seat next to him.  
  
"TK, I know you were there, you have to know something." Tai said. TK nearly forgot that Tai was the first one that was told about this after it happened.  
  
"It's not that..." TK said. "If I tell you, you're going to blame me... I know you are..." TK had been blaming himself since it happened, it was almost too much for him to take. Tai put a hand on TK's shoulder, trying to reassure him.  
  
"TK, I promise I won't blame you, just tell me what happened." Tai didn't have any idea what happened, just that something did. TK sat there for a minute, trying to decide if he should say or not. He lowered his head as his eyes closed, trying to keep tears from rolling out and failing as a few slipped out.  
  
"It's my fault..." TK admitted in a pained voice. "It's my fault she got hurt... my fault she's here..." Tai didn't believe what was hearing, he knew TK would never do something like this.  
  
"...Tell me what happened...." Tai finally said. "Everything..." TK raised his head and wiped the tears from his face. He didn't want to explain, but he knew he had to, it was too late to turn and run. He had turned and ran once too much today already.  
  
**********  
  
It was sometime just before lunch, maybe around noon. I was digging through my locker, looking for my books for the class I had after lunch. I hardly clean it out so there was a lot of junk and papers to get through. Once I found the book I heard something behind me. I turned around and saw Kari standing there, smiling at me.  
  
"Coming to lunch or is the locker better company than me?" She asked me. I laughed even though it wasn't really a joke, I couldn't help it.  
  
"Yeah, I just have to find my math book." I said, looking back into my locker. Kari looked over my shoulder, looking though my locker, then reached into it, pulling out my math book. I didn't have any idea how she found it that fast.  
  
"I know you too well." She said, handing me the book. "You never look in the obvious spot." She was right, of course, I never could find things right in front of me.  
  
"Thanks..." I said. I sounded nervous saying it, I usually do talking to Kari. "I'll see you at our usual seat at lunch, still a few things to dig out of here." Kari smiled at me and started to walk off.  
  
"Okay, see you then." She said, walking away. I watched her until she rounded the corner to the lunch room. Her locker was right around the corner so if I thought if I could find my things fast enough I could walk her to lunch.  
  
"Hey, stop!" I heard someone shout behind me. Curiosity made me turn and see a kid running down the hallway with a red bookbag in his hands and a smaller kid about my size chasing after him. The bigger kid was too fast, I knew he couldn't catch up to him. I knew the big kid as Brad, the jerk of the school and a senior, nobody messed with him. He was running down the hall as fast as he could, holding on tight to his stolen prize. I knew all I had to do was stick out a foot, toss a book, anything really quick and he would trip, but I just watched, looking on as he passed by me and down the hallway. I figured it wasn't my fight and he would get caught eventually. Besides, he would eventually get back to me and beat the life out of me. I turned back to my locker and didn't give it another thought.  
  
That's when it happened. Not a minute later I heard a painful scream from down the hallway. I slammed my locker shut and looked down the hall. Brad was nowhere in sight, but any kids nearby were starting to croud around something around the corner of the hallway. Normally I wouldn't bother with things like that but the scream was almost... familiar. I walked over slowly, the closer I got the more worried I got. The scream echoed in my head, the more it did the more I thought I heard it before. For some reason I started running, something just made me go faster. When I got to the corner there was already a lot of people around whatever happened, there were too many to see what they were around. I saw one path of kids open up, letting two teachers drag Brad out of the circle.  
  
"I swear, I didn't see her there!" I heard him say. "How was I suppose to know?!" Soon as he got dragged away I walked to where he was pulled from, making my way through the path they left behind. When I got into the circle I saw Kari there, laying on the floor and clutching her leg. Just seeing her face told me she was in a lot of pain. I kneeled down beside her, hoping to do something, anything. I looked around and saw Yolei nearby, looking down at Kari.  
  
"What happened?" I asked her. Yolei walked over and kneeled down on the other side of Kari, obviously just as concerned as I was.  
  
"It was Brad..." Yolei said. "He was running down the hallway with some kid's backpack and when he turned the corner he slammed right into Kari. She was just standing there checking her locker, she didn't see him coming..." I just sat there, looking down at Kari with tears in my eyes. Kari was almost passed out from the pain, I couldn't stand the sight of it.  
  
**********  
  
"That's why it's my fault..." TK said, crying again. "It would have been so easy, all I had to do was trip him, stop him, slow him, anything and Kari wouldn't be hurt... If I hadn't been thinking of just what would happen to me she wouldn't be here..." TK looked at Tai, expecting a look of anger or even hatred, but looked more concerned.  
  
"TK, you can't beat yourself up over that..." Tai said, trying to cheer up TK. "You didn't know he would run into Kari like that, you couldn't control it..." TK dropped his head, letting a few tears splash against the floor below him.  
  
"That's the thing, I could have..." TK said thought his tears. "I was only thinking of what he would do to me if I had stopped him, if I wasn't just thinking about myself this wouldn't be happening..." Tai could tell something else was bugging TK and it wasn't totally about the situation. He was about to ask when a doctor came out of the emergency room doors, holding a clipboard with many things clipped to it.  
  
"Are you the two boys that came in with Kari Kamiya?" The doctor asked, looking down at TK and Tai. TK still had his head hanging, not wanting to answer, so Tai just nodded in responce. "Well we've checked her out, her left leg was broken in two placed below her knee, we already have her in a cast and in a room upstairs resting." Tai was relieved to hear the news, he had been praying it wasn't any worse.  
  
"Well it's just a broken leg, we can get her some crutches and be out of here soon, right?" Tai asked, hoping for the best. The doctor flipped through some pages on his clipboard, coming to an x-ray of Kari's leg.  
  
"I wish it were that easy." He said. "One of the breaks was across the middle of her shin, the usual fractured leg, but one was near her kneecap so we'd like to keep her about a week to make sure nothing else was damaged." The announcement just renewed Tai's worry, thinking something might be messed up worse than just a bone.  
  
"Can we see her?" TK suddenly asked, breaking from his depressed slump. Tai couldn't tell if TK was relieved or just more worried from the news.  
  
"Yes, of course." The doctor replied. "But I must warn you she is tired from the ordeal, she needs rest so try not to stay too long. She's in room 403, just take the elevator and turn right." With that the doctor walked past them, leaving the two to find their way. Tai stood up and started for the elevator, then turned back, looking for TK. He just then stood from the bench, starting to follow Tai with his head still hanging a little low. Tai didn't make anything of it and continued on, keeping at a slow pace so TK would stay right behind him.  
  
**********  
  
Tai and TK managed to find Kari's room without much trouble. Inside Kari was laying back on a slightly elevated hospital bed with a TV remote in her hand, flipping through channels on a TV hanging in the far corner of the room. Her left leg was wrapped in a cast up to her knee and suspended from a pulley hanging on the ceiling. As soon as Tai saw this he ran to the side of Kari's bed out of worry with TK just standing in the doorway, looking on at the sight.  
  
"Kari, are you okay?!" Tai yelled. Kari put her hands over her ears, trying to block the loud noise.  
  
"Tai, I broke my leg, I didn't go deaf." Kari said, putting her arms down. Tai just smiled nervously. "It's still a little sore but they said it would go down by tonight." Tai had to admit it was a relief, at least Kari only broke her leg.  
  
"Just do me a favor." Tai said. "Stop it with these hospital trips, you scare me to death too often!" Tai reached over and messed up her hair a little, trying to act like a normal big brother. He looked back and saw that TK had made his way to a chair in the corner, so at least he was willing to come into the room.  
  
"I'll try not to make a habit of it." Kari replied, trying to brush her hair back to normal. "They told me they didn't know how I could have broken my leg like this. I can't even remember what happened, I was going through my locker before lunch, then something hit me and I was on the floor with TK and Yolei over me." Tai realized she couldn't have known what TK had told him, it was just a flash of events to her, she didn't even seen Brad run into her.  
  
"Guess we'll never know..." Tai said, lying a little. He wanted to explain TK's story, but the way TK was taking it he knew it was a bad idea. Tai glanced at a clock beside Kari's bed and saw the time. "I'd better get going, mom and dad are going to worry and I'm sure they'll want to come and check on you." Tai turned and slowly walked away, heading for the door. He took a look at the corner chair where TK was still sitting. "Come on, TK, let's get going." Tai started for the door again, but stopped after a minute when he realized TK wasn't following. He looked back again and saw TK still sitting in his chair, still looking at Kari.  
  
"...I'm not going, Tai..." TK said silently. Tai couldn't help but be a little confused, TK wasn't the kind to act like this. TK stood up and walked over to Tai, then leaned in close enough to whisper in his ear. "It's my fault she's in here, I'm at least going to help her get out... just tell my mom and brother I might not be back for a while..." With that TK walked away and sat down in a chair beside Kari's bed. Tai didn't want to make a big deal about it and left, leaving TK to keep Kari company.  
  
The rest of the day was busy and uneventful at the same time. Tai came back with his parents to check on Kari. Davis, Yolei and Cody visited, with Davis making a huge deal about everything and, of course, blaming TK, which TK didn't mind since he had been blaming himself all day. Matt came by to look in on TK, but didn't stay long since he had a band rehersal. Everyone who visited, especially Matt, tried getting TK to at least leave the room, but he refused, sticking to his spot in the chair by Kari's bed. After all the visits Tai was still the only one who knew what happened even though he wanted to tell his brother and even Kari at one point. It was nighttime now and the nurse had brought TK a cot to sleep on and a tray of food since he hadn't eaten all day. Still sitting beside the now sleeping Kari, his thoughts were far from dinner.  
  
"Why didn't I stop him..." TK said to himself, staying quiet enough so Kari wouldn't wake up. "Was I really that worried about just myself...?" He always tried to think of others before himself, it was second nature by now. He kept mentally kicking himself for not doing that this one time. He knew it was his fault this happened and he wouldn't forgive himself, he knew Kari wouldn't. TK put his hand onto the bed, careful not to wake her up. "I'm sorry, Kari..." TK whispered. "I never meant to do this to you... I never wanted you to get hurt..." TK began crying for what seemed like the thousanth time that day. He was wondering where he could find so many tears. "It's all my fault... I shouldn't have thought about just myself... I know you'll never forgive me, I cant even forgive myself..." TK set his head down on the side of the bed, trying to soak a few tears into it. "I wish I could have told you... told you how much I love you... after this you'd never return that..." TK had for a long time been in love with Kari, he had been trying to get up enough courage to tell her, but he never managed to get up the nerve. This event only made TK realize how much he really did love Kari, but at the same time doomed any chance of her sharing that love. TK eventually fell asleep with his head against the bed. His tears still flowed through the night as his nightmares replayed the accident over and over, each time only putting TK in more agony.  
  
**********  
  
TK woke the next morning with a sharp pain in his neck from sleeping in the strange position. He quickly sat up, ignoring the stab of pain he got doing it, and looked at the bed. Kari was still sound asleep and the soaked part of the bed had since dried up. He looked to his side and saw the tray of food he left untouched last night had been replaced by a breakfast plate, meaning the nurse had already been through here today. The new tray had a bowl, two cartons, one milk and one juice, a small cereal box and a banana, basic hospital breakfast. TK took the juice carton and drank it down fast, barely even tasting it as he did, then set the empty carton down, still not in the mood to eat any real food.  
  
"TK?" Kari said, sitting up slowly. TK turned to see her, beautiful as ever, even with the tired eyes and slightly messy hair. TK looked away a little, not wanting to stare and not being able to look for long anyway. "What are you doing here? Visiting times don't start for hours." TK sat back and relaxed a little, knowing Kari was already one day into recovery. The sooner she was healed the better.  
  
"Well I didn't want to leave last night and I kind of fell asleep here..." TK admitted. "The nurse brought in a cot for me to spend the night on." TK intentionally left out the part about falling asleep while crying beside Kari.  
  
"TK, you didn't have to do that..." Kari said, sitting up a little, careful not to move her hanging leg. "You probably didn't even get a decent meal, I know pretty well how bad this place's food is." TK had forgotten how hungry he got last night, he wasn't paying attention to things like that.  
  
"I wasn't hungry anyway..." TK said. Now that it had come up he did realize he was getting really hungry, not that he cared about food.  
  
"TK, I know you too well, you've gotta be hungry by now." Kari said. The loud groans from TK's stomache gave it away, but Kari was right, he never went too long without eating usually, even if it was just a snack. "At least eat the cereal the nurse left, she put it there for a reason you know." TK never could say no to Kari. He reached for the small box and tore the top off, letting the cereal fall into the plastic bowl below. TK started pouring milk into the bowl when a pair of doctors entered, one pushing a wheelchair with one of the leg holds propped up.  
  
"Miss Kamiya, we need to do a few x-rays of your leg, it shouldn't be more than half an hour." One doctor announced. "Your friend is free to wait in here until we're finished." Kari nodded as the two doctors walked over to her and lifted her off the bed, being very careful not to move her broken leg. Slowly they carried her to the wheelchair and set her down in it, setting her leg gently onto the propped up leg hold. Kari turned her head to look at TK as they wheeled her out of the room and out of TK's sight for the first time in over a day. TK didn't like just staying there while they took Kari away, but he didn't have a choice. He picked up the spoon and shoveled a few spoonfuls of cereal into his mouth before he lost his appetite again, he was just too worried about Kari to get any food down him. TK stood up and made his way to the cot, laying down on it. After about 10 minutes of staring at the ceiling he fell asleep, not getting a good rest on the edge of Kari's bed. Again his dreams replayed Kari's scream and look of pure pain, only making his blame deepen.  
  
**********  
  
The doctors had wheeled Kari back into her hospital room and lifted her back onto the bed, setting her leg back into its sling. Aside from her leg itching a little from the cast she was fairly comfortable. Once the doctors left she looked over at TK, who looked like he was sleeping uneasily like he was having a nightmare.  
  
"I wonder why he stayed here so long..." Kari whispered to herself. "TK's always been my best friend, but I thought if anyone would watch over me it would have been Tai... or maybe Davis, he's the one so in love with me..." That's when it hit Kari. "...No, what am I thinking, TK couldn't be in love with me..." Kari watched TK as he kicked around a little on the cot, still in his nightmares. "...Even if I wish he was..." Despite Davis's constant attempts to impress or flatter Kari, she had fallen in love with TK a long time ago, but was too afraid he wouldn't return it.  
  
"Kari, no..." TK mumbled in his sleep just loud enough for Kari to hear. The TV was off so the only sound in the room was TK talking in his sleep. Kar leaned onto her side as best she could to get a better listen. "...I'm sorry I did this to you..." TK's mumbling left out a lot of detail, but the last part that came in clear just confused Kari, TK never did anything to her he had to be sorry for. "...I love you, Kari..." Kari gasped at the last part, but quickly stopped, afraid of waking TK.  
  
"He loves me...?" Kari whispered to herself. The appology part still confused her, but she didn't even think of it when TK had said the last part, it was everything Kari hoped for. Kari kept looking at his restless sleep until eventually one violent jerk tipped over the flimsy cot, dropping TK to the tile floor below, quickly waking him up. Kari gasped again and wanted to jump out of the bed to help him up, but thanks to the cast and sling it was impossible, leaving her to just watch. "TK, are you alright?!" Kari said, a lot of worry in her voice. TK slowly stood and rubbed his head.  
  
"Yeah, just fine..." TK replied. "If I do that again we might have to share a room in this place..." Kari couldn't help but giggle a little at the joke. TK made his way to his chair next to Kari's bed, still rubbing his head a bit. Kari sat silent for a minute, considering telling TK about his speaking dream.  
  
"Hey TK..." Kari finally said. "You were talking in your sleep on the cot..." TK's eyes widened out of worry. He remembered his dream well enough, replaying Kari's accident over and over, the scream echoing through his mind, her pain filled face burned into his mind, and all because of him.  
  
"What... did I say exactly?" TK asked, hoping it wasn't anything about the accident or it being his fault.  
  
"Well it was mostly mumbles..." Kari answered. She was still confused about him appologising for something and thought it better to leave it out. "Let's just say I heard something I've been waiting to hear for a long time now." TK wasn't sure what she meant, but he was defiantly curious.  
  
"...And what was that....?" TK asked. Kari smiled a little and motioned her finger for TK to come closer. Still confused, TK stood and leaned over her bed, as close to Kari as he could get.  
  
"This..." Kari said. She quickly leaned forward and pressed her lips to TK's. His eyes snapped open in shock, then slowly closed as he returned the kiss. The two felt like a lightning bolt just surged through them, sparking where their lips met. After a minute Kari broke the kiss, leaning back on the bed. TK just stayed there, too surprised to even twitch. "In your sleep you said you loved me... did you mean it?" TK wasn't sure how to answer, he remembered saying it in his dream but he didn't think that was what Kari had wanted to hear.  
  
"...I did..." TK admitted. "...I've been in love with you for a long time, I didn't think you would ever love me, though..." Kari giggled a little, watching TK start to blush as he spoke.  
  
"Believe me, TK, I love you too, probably for as long as you've loved me." Kari said. TK sat back down in his chair, still in disbelief. He reached over and placed his hand on Kari's.  
  
"Wonder how Davis is going to take this news..." TK joked. "He'll either flip out or try to kill me probably." Kari had to laugh a little at the joke.  
  
"I'm more worried about our brothers." Kari said. "They're the ones that we've gotta worry about." TK laughed a little, even if she was right. The new couple continued to talk, the accident from the previous day all but forgotten to TK. For the first time in a while he wasn't thinking about it and was too happy to even consider it.  
  
**********  
  
A week past and TK was coming by every day after school to visit Kari, occasionally bringing flowers or some other small gift. As the days had passed, TK slowly remembered it was his fault all of this happened, his fault Kari was still restricted to a hospital bed with her leg broken and dangling from the ceiling. It seemed like knowing she loved him like he loved her make the blame even worse than it ever way, almost to the point where he couldn't stand it anymore. TK had spent most of his money through the week and was broke by the time Friday rolled around, so today he only had a single rose Sora managed to sneak out of her mom's flower shop for him. He stared at it while he rode the elevator to the floor Kari's room was on.  
  
"What if she never forgives me..." TK said to himself. He was riding the elevator alone and thinking out loud helped him get thoughts together anyway. "I know she loves me... but if I tell her, that love might die..." He didn't know what to do, from every way he saw things he lost, there was no winning... either he never told and lived with the guilt for life or he risked the one thing he had been after for years... his thoughts were interupted when the elevator pinged and the door opened, letting TK walk out with the rose in hand. TK walked down the ice cold hallway until he reached Kari's room, still unsure of what to do. He swallowed hard and turned the handle on her door, pushing it open. What TK saw surprised him a little. Kari was out of the bed, standing in front of the room's window on her good leg and a pair of crutches. TK also noticed her cast no longer came up past her knee, like a lot of it had been cut away. Kari turned at the sound of the door opening, spinning around on her good leg.  
  
"Hi TK!" Kari said, smiling. Kari noticed TK staring at her broken leg. "The doctor said the break near my knee wasn't close enough for a full leg cast so they cut off the extra so I could use crutches, he says I can go home tomorrow." TK was glad to hear the news, to be honest he was getting bored of spending all day in a hosspital room.  
  
"Great, I'm glad to hear it!" TK said. He glanced at the table beside her bed which now had assorted gifts and flowers piled on it. "Guess I've gotta carry out all the stuff I carried in, don't I?" Kari giggled a little before going over to the bed and sitting down on it, letting her crutches lean against the bed for the next time she needed them. "Oh, I almost forgot!" TK walked over to Kari and sat down beside her. He lifted the rose up so Kari could see it. "Sorry I don't have anything else, I kind of spent all my money..." Kari took the rose in her hand before smiling and giving TK a quick kiss.  
  
"You shouldn't be spending so much on me..." Kari said, reaching over to place the rose into a vase the other flowers were in. "Your love is more than I could ask for..." TK melted at the comment, then shook his head, remembering why he was here.  
  
"Kari, I have to tell you something..." TK said, swallowing the lump in his throat. Kari sat back a little, bracing for the worst. "The day you got into the accident... It was my fault, it's my fault you're in this hospital..." Kari couldn't believe what she was hearing, as far as she knew TK wasn't even there when it happened.  
  
"...What do you mean...?" Kari asked, half in shock. TK lowered his head and closed his eyes. With the scene replaying in his mind so often it was hard to have to actually describe it, especially to Kari.  
  
"...When Brad was running down the hallway, he passed right by me..." TK admitted. "He was running so fast that all I had to do was stick out my foot, toss a book at his legs, anything that would have tripped him, but I didn't... I was only looking out for myself and you got hurt because of it..." TK felt tears coming from his eyes, he didn't care about them at the moment, though. "I don't blame you if you never forgive me, I haven't forgiven myself since..." Kari took in every work, not believeing TK could have held onto such guild for a week now.  
  
"...Was anyone else in the hallway?" Kari finally asked. TK opened his eyes, confused from the question, it didn't seem to make any point.  
  
"Well yeah, it was lunchtime, a bunch were watching from their lockers." TK answered. Kari brightened up, hoping she had an idea going with this.  
  
"So why are you so upset?" Kari asked. "Everyone watching did the exact same thing you did and probably for the same reason, it was perfectly normal. Besides, you had no idea he would crash into me like that, there was nothing you could do." TK had heard the second argument before, but after the first it seemed to make a lot more sense.  
  
"But I thought you'd never forgive me for that..." TK said, looking up at Kari. He had hated himself since it happened, even if it did feel like it was lifting a little.  
  
"TK, of course I forgive you, but you don't have anything that needs to be forgiven, either." Kari said, taking TK's hand in hers. "I love you more than anything, nothing can change that, especially not something you had no control over. Besides, if it didn't happen, would you have told me you loved me a week ago?" TK knew Kari had a point, this accident had caused them to be as close as they were. Then TK realized that was the first time in a week he considered it an accident and not his fault, it felt like the guilt had just vanished from his mind.  
  
"Kari, I'm sorry..." TK said, holding Kari's hand a little tighter.  
  
"TK, I told you this wasn't your fault, you couldn't help it." Kari said, trying to get TK back into his usual spirits. TK laughed a little.  
  
"No, not that!" TK said jokingly. "I'm sorry I doubted how much you love me, I love you just as much... and I shouldn't have waited so long to tell you..." Kari smiled and quickly kissed TK, resting her head on his shoulder.  
  
"Forgiven..." Kari said silently. TK closed his eyes and smiled, glad his guilt had left and glad his love had maintained though it.  
  
The End  
  
Sorry this one took so long, school is a NIGHTMARE of a writer's block! Anyway, please review this story, but please DO NOT spoil the surprise of this fic, please do not say it was TK's fault Kari was injured in your review, that ruins it for others. Thank you! ^_^  
  
So what's next for CyberDracomon? Well how about we finish up this Trilogy with one of the most overdone fics out there, the Diary Fic! Of course, it'll be a Takari, what else would you expect from me? ^_^ Until then!  



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